Apparatus and method of automatically provisioning a femtocell

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, establishing communications with a femtocell located at premises with a gateway device. A request is received from the femtocell to authenticate the femtocell, wherein authentication allows the femtocell to receive subscribed services. Authentication information is received from the femtocell and an authentication process is initiated to authenticate the femtocell based on the request. An identification of the gateway device and the authentication information are provided to a remote server, wherein the providing of the identification and the authentication information is responsive to the establishing of the communications with the femtocell. The remote server identifies a subscriber account based on the identification of the gateway to authenticate the femtocell based on information obtained from the subscriber account. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/197,987, filed Mar. 5, 2014, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/951,534, filed Nov.22, 2010, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,705,503, the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to femtocells and morespecifically to an apparatus and method of automatically provisioning afemtocell.

BACKGROUND

Provisioning a femtocell on to a broadband network is generally deployedto improve indoor wireless coverage provided by a wireless networkoperator. Although femtocells exists that offer “plug-and-play”installations on certain networks, the complication and problems thatarise due to various services and networks are not fully contemplated byexisting systems. Having subscribers install and provision their ownfemtocells can further complicate deployment and even cause degradationto a network rather than improve it.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication systemsthat provides media services;

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a portal interacting withthe communication system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication deviceutilized in the communication system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication systemusing a femtocell;

FIG. 5 depicts a downstream Quality of Service (QoS) model;

FIG. 6 depicts an upstream QoS model;

FIG. 7 depicts a Femtocell access point DNS call flow;

FIG. 8 depicts a QoS system used in the models of FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 9 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method operating inportions of the systems described in FIGS. 1-8;

FIG. 10 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method operating inportions of the systems describes in FIGS. 1-8 with regard to thefemtocell and a handset; and

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments of a femtocell provisioning system that can authenticate andfurther modify a QoS level or provide self diagnostics. Otherembodiments are contemplated by the present disclosure.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a method renderingservice to a femtocell which can include receiving from a gateway amessage with a gateway identifier responsive to a femtocell establishingcommunications with the gateway. The method can also include identifyinga subscriber account according to the gateway identifier and verifyingfrom the subscriber account an availability of service for thefemtocell, authenticating the femtocell according to a globalpositioning satellite (GPS) location coordinate and a femtocellidentifier supplied by the femtocell, and rendering service to thefemtocell upon authentication of the femtocell.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a femtocell comprisinga controller operable to establish communications with a gateway andtransmit authentication information to the gateway. The gatewaytransmits the authentication information and a gateway identifier to aremote server to authenticate the femtocell. The controller is alsooperable to detect enablement of services responsive to the remoteserver identifying a subscriber account according to the gatewayidentifier, and the remote server authenticating the femtocell bycomparing the authentication information to information retrieved fromthe subscriber account.

Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a portablecommunication device in communication with a femtocell comprising acontroller operable to send location information to the femtocell and tocommunicate with a third party via the femtocell once the femtocell isenabled for communication services responsive to successfully beingauthenticated. The femtocell is operable to transmit to a remote servicethe location information from the portable communication device forauthenticating the femtocell. The femtocell is also operable to causethe remote server to arbitrate Quality of Service (QoS) parameters withother devices sharing a broadband channel with the femtocell.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a first communicationsystem 100 for delivering media content. The communication system 100can represent an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) media system. TheIPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO) 110 with atleast one super headend office server (SHS) 111 which receives mediacontent from satellite and/or terrestrial communication systems. In thepresent context, media content can represent audio content, moving imagecontent such as videos, still image content, and combinations thereof.The SHS server 111 can forward packets associated with the media contentto one or more video head-end servers (VHS) 114 via a network of videohead-end offices (VHO) 112 according to a common multicast communicationprotocol.

The VHS 114 can distribute multimedia broadcast content via an accessnetwork 118 to commercial and/or residential buildings 102 housing agateway 104 (such as a residential or commercial gateway). The accessnetwork 118 can represent a group of digital subscriber line accessmultiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a service areainterface that provide broadband services over optical links or coppertwisted pairs 119 to buildings 102. The gateway 104 can use commoncommunication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 106 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 108 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 107 (such as aninfrared or RF remote control).

The gateway 104, the media processors 106, and media devices 108 canutilize tethered communication technologies (such as coaxial, powerlineor phone line wiring) or can operate over a wireless access protocolsuch as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi). By way of these interfaces, unicastcommunications can also be invoked between the media processors 106 andsubsystems of the IPTV media system for services such as video-on-demand(VoD), browsing an electronic programming guide (EPG), or otherinfrastructure services. Furthermore, the gateway can be incommunication with a femtocell 199 operating in accordance with thevarious embodiments described herein.

A satellite broadcast television system 129 can be used also in themedia system of FIG. 1. The satellite broadcast television system can beoverlaid, operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 100. In thisembodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 115 carrying mediacontent can be received by a satellite dish receiver 131 coupled to thebuilding 102. Modulated signals received by the satellite dish receiver131 can be transferred to the media processors 106 for demodulating,decoding, encoding, and/or distributing broadcast channels to the mediadevices 108. The media processors 106 can be equipped with a broadbandport to the ISP network 132 to enable interactive services such as VoDand EPG as described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital cable broadcastdistribution system such as cable TV system 133 can be overlaid,operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system and/or the satelliteTV system as another representative embodiment of communication system100. In this embodiment, the cable TV system 133 can provide Internet,telephony, and interactive media services also.

It is contemplated that the present disclosure can apply to any presentor next generation over-the-air and/or landline media content servicessystem.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 130, a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing portal services over an Internet ServiceProvider (ISP) network 132 to wireline media devices 108 or wirelesscommunication devices 116.

All forms of media services can be offered to media devices overlandline technologies such as those described above. Additionally, mediaservices can be offered to media devices by way of a wireless accessbase station 117 operating according to common wireless access protocolssuch as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), or cellular communication technologies(such as GSM, CDMA, UMTS, WiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, and soon).

System 100 can also provide for all or a portion of the computingdevices 130 to function as an authentication server (herein referred toas server 130). The server 130 can use common computing andcommunication technology to perform the function of authenticating orverifying that a femtocell 199 is appropriately configured and assignedto premises 102 in accordance with the embodiments. Server 130 can alsobe used to control or otherwise communicate with the residential gateway104, the media processor 106 or other computing devices in building orpremise 102. Illustrative embodiments of methods that can operate inportions of the devices of FIG. 1 are described further below.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a portal 202 which canoperate from the computing devices 130 of the communication system 100illustrated in FIG. 1. The portal 202 can be used for managing servicesof communication system 100. The portal 202 can be accessed by a UniformResource Locator (URL) with a common Internet browser such asMicrosoft's Internet Explorer™ using an Internet-capable communicationdevice such as those described for FIG. 1. The portal 202 can beconfigured, for example, to access a media processor 106 and servicesmanaged thereby such as a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), a VoD catalog,an EPG, or a personal catalog (such as personal videos, pictures, audiorecordings, etc.) stored in the media processor 106. The portal 202 canalso be used for provisioning Internet Multimedia Service (IMS)services, provisioning Internet services, provisioning cellular phoneservices, and so on. Illustrative embodiments of methods that canoperate in portions of the portal 202 of FIG. 2 are described below.

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a communication device 300.

Communication device 300 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the communication devices of FIG. 1. Thecommunication device 300 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 302 (herein transceiver 302), a user interface (UI) 304, apower supply 314, a location receiver 316, and a controller 306 formanaging operations thereof. The transceiver 302 can support short-rangeor long-range wireless access technologies such as Bluetooth, WiFi,Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), or cellularcommunication technologies, just to mention a few. Cellular technologiescan include, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE,EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, and next generation cellular wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 302 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCPIP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 304 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 308 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device300. The keypad 308 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 300 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 408 canrepresent a numeric dialing keypad commonly used by phones, and/or aQwerty keypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 304 can further include adisplay 310 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display),OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technologyfor conveying images to an end user of the communication device 300. Inan embodiment where the display 310 is touch-sensitive, a portion or allof the keypad 408 can be presented by way of the display 310.

The UI 304 can also include an audio system 312 that utilizes commonaudio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heardonly in the proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such asspeakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system 312 can furtherinclude a microphone for receiving audible signals of an end user. Theaudio system 312 can also be used for voice recognition applications.The UI 304 can further include an image sensor 313 such as a chargedcoupled device (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 314 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and charging system technologies for supplying energy tothe components of the communication device 300 to facilitate long-rangeor short-range portable applications. The location receiver 316 canutilize common location technology such as a global positioning system(GPS) receiver for identifying a location of the communication device300 based on signals generated by a constellation of GPS satellites,thereby facilitating common location services such as navigation.

The communication device 300 can use the transceiver 302 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi or Bluetooth access point bycommon sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signal strengthindicator (RSSI) and/or a signal time of arrival (TOA) or time of flight(TOF). The controller 306 can utilize computing technologies such as amicroprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and/or a videoprocessor with associated storage memory such a Flash, ROM, RAM, SRAM,DRAM or other storage technologies.

The communication device 300 can be adapted to perform the functions ofthe media processor 106, the media devices 108, or the portablecommunication devices 116 of FIG. 1. It will be appreciated that thecommunication device 300 can also represent other common devices thatcan operate in communication system 100 of FIG. 1 such as a gamingconsole and a media player. Illustrative embodiments of methods that canoperate in portions of the communication device of FIG. 3 are describedbelow.

The present disclosure contemplates a femtocell that can beautomatically provisioned and authenticated by confirming service andlocation in a number of ways. Other aspects include dynamic QoSadjustments and diagnostics for troubleshooting. Due to the increasedcomplexity of networks, “customer self-service” to troubleshoot ordiagnose has become very formidable as more and more circuits with abundle service such as wireless, VOIP, IPTV and high speed internet areassigned to Optical Fiber Networks. This presents a challenge whichmandates a very unique and innovative solution that ensures that the“Customer Experience” can be maximized. Today the magnitude and enormityof this type of “end to end” testing has provided the telecom industryradically new challenges. In order to minimize costs associated with themaintenance of circuits assigned to various network equipment ports, a“self service” maintenance capability is offered herein to quicklyisolate or resolve troubles on Network Elements and Home Networkcomponents. The “customer self service” automation provided herein canensure that all services including wireless can be provisioned andtested “end to end”.

In particular, the embodiments described herein help address one or morechallenges involving femtocells. As alluded to above, provisioning canbe complicated due to the complexity in networks and services beingbundled. Nonetheless, embodiments herein would provide for automatedprovisioning that would allow a user to take a femtocell home and plugit in. In other words, embodiments herein would provide a plug and playexperience for the consumer. Next, femtocell should automatically detectand provision neighbor lists to allow full mobility with a macro networkKey. Provisioning should also entail maintaining security to protectboth the network and the end consumer or customer. Other features caninclude dynamic QoS adjustments in view of bundled services on a networkand self-diagnostics or troubleshooting on such bundled networks havingthe femtocell.

Referring to FIG. 4, a system or network 400 having a femtocell 412coupled to a customer's home network can include a residential gateway420 that provides media services through an STB 416 and display 414 orcomputer system 418. The network can further include numerous networkelements including a video transport network 425 (having VHOs and SHOsand a IP DSLAM 422), and a Femto gateway 424 (having a mobility packetcore). The Femto gateway 424 can communicate with a troubleshootingmodule 436 that can include an Expert Rule Management Engine 432 thatinterfaces with a number of elements including a ticketing module 434, areporting module 437, a customer inventory database 430, a remotetesting module 428, and an alarm management module 426. The Expert RuleManagement engine 432 can also interface with work centers 438 (that caninclude a network operating center and a dispatch center) and ancustomer via the reporting module 437.

Operationally, the system 400 can for example following the annotatedprocess of auto detecting or responding to a customer's request at step1 and subsequently checking the customer's account status andconfiguration at step 2. An auto alarm or alert and ticket correlationis done to isolate possible problems due to a network outage at step 3.At step 4, the transport network and “Last Mile” can be auto tested andthe IP DSLAM port can be bounced. Next, at steps 5-7, the femtocellstatus is checked, the home network connectivity is verified forsufficient bandwidth, and the Femtocell is automatically power cycled ifnecessary. At step 8, the system performs service restorationverification. If the verification fails, the system 400 creates a ticketand sends the ticket to the work center 438 and schedules a dispatch tofix a home network problem if required. At step 10, the system 400 candocument resolution in a Ticket for customer reporting.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 illustrate QoS models 500 and 600 for downstream andupstream service respectively to and from a customer premise. The models500 and 600 can include network elements that couple a Femto gateway 550having a mobility packet core to a femtocell 524. The elements betweenthe gateway 550 and the femtocell 524 can include a common broadbandbackbone (CBB) 554, an SHO router 502, a VHO router 504, an IO router506 and a DSLAM 514. Between the IO router 506 and the DLSAM 514 can bea 10 Gigahertz Ethernet connection 508, a CO switch 510 and a 1Gigahertz Ethernet connection 512. The DSLAM 514 further couples to aresidential gateway 516 that enables multiple media services that caninclude Internet or high speed broadband service through router 518,Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service through a STB and display520, Voice-over-IP (VoIP) through a VoiP phone 522, or femtocellwireless network services through femtocell 524 and the mobile cellularphone 526. Note that the Femto gateway 550 can couple to or from otherfemtocells in other access networks through the Internet 552. Unlessthere are cross agreements between carriers of the other access networksand the carrier of network 500 or 600, the ability to provide QoS may belimited for traffic leaving or coming from outside networks since thesystem illustrated assumes that the broadband internet carrier and thewireless cellular carrier are the same carrier. Without contractualagreements in place, there may be no way control the QoS provided by theother access networks.

Operationally in the downstream model 500 of FIG. 5, the Femto Gateway550 can mark up secure virtual private network (VPN) packets withDifferentiated Services Code (Control) Point (DSCP) values. The IOrouter 504 can route traffic into VPLS and translate the DSCP marking toMPLS EXP-bits markings. The DSLAM 514 forwards all traffic downstream,honoring 802.1p markings and the per-customer VLAN based on IGMPsnooping for IPTV multicasting. The CO switch 510 honors the MPLSEXP-bits marked traffic within the VPLS and maps into per-customer VLANsand marks 802.1p P-bits downstream to the DSLAM 514. The residentialgateway 516 strips the received signal of P-bits, performs P-bits basedpriority scheduling and forwards DSCP marking to end devices.

In the upstream model 600 of FIG. 6, the femtocell 524 marks up secureVPN packets with DSCP. The residential gateway 516 will then remark theP-bits or DSCP value according to policy rules (e.g., destinationaddress). The DSLAM 514 forwards all traffic upstream, honoring the802.1p markings and the per-customer VLAN for IPTV IGMP multicastingresponse messages. The CO switch 510 maps per-customer VLANS and 802.1pP-bits to MPLS EXP-bits for upstream data. The IO router 506 thentranslates MPLS EXP-bits marking into DSCP marking.

FIG. 7 illustrates a simplified femtocell access point network DomainName System (DNS) call flow 700. Upon coupling a femtocell 702 to acustomer's broadband network 704, the femtocell 702 can request that theresidential gateway (RG) (within the network 704) to start up andinitiate authentication via 802.1X. The actual process can includenumerous steps, but ultimately D-DPE DNS queries are made to thewireless carrier 708 via the Internet 706 and an address is assigned tothe femtocell access point 702.

In one embodiment with reference to FIGS. 5-7, a DSLAM responds to802.1X authentication request and the RG initiates an ExtensibleAuthentication Protocol (EAP) session. The DSLAM proxies an EAP sessionto a server such as a RADIUS server. The RG and RADIUS server transactan EAP authentication. Radius attributes TBD (port). Depending on RADIUSattributes added by DSLAM, authentication of the RG may be conducted atthis stage. Successful authentication results in the DSLAM opening theuser's port. The RG then initiates a DHCP request. The DSLAM adds option82 (shelf/slot/port/circuit ID) to a DHCP message. The IO Router relaysDHCP request to a DHCP server. The DHCP server determines an IP addressbased on giaddr (Gateway IP Address) and option 82. The DHCP server mayauthenticate the RG (option 82/MAC) with communication between the DHCPserver and the RADIUS server. DHCP server communicates accountingstart/stop to RADIUS server. This may trigger a policy management pushto network elements. The DHCP acknowledge is issued by the DHCP server.For security, the IO Router snoops the DHCP acknowledge (IP and MACaddresses) and installs ARP cache entry for the authenticated RG. Forsecurity, the CO Switch snoops the DHCP acknowledge (IP address) andinstalls an IP anti-spoofing filter for the authenticated RG. Thisallows any traffic from the user with the proper IP address to enter thenetwork from this point in time. The RG receives DHCP acknowledgegranting its IP address.

Referring to network 800 represented in FIG. 8, the QoS functions insuch a network can be further explained. Femto traffic can be treated asHSAI data which will be identified by 802.1p marking from the RG(upstream) and by DSCP marking of traffic from IS POP routers. A DSLAM830 implements the QoS functions on the frame level. The DSLAM 830 ismade of two main parts: line cards that host the DSL modems and do thetraffic handling for the DSL links, and an aggregation function whichgathers the traffic from the line cards.

The DSLAM 830 can have a distributed traffic handling architecture. Theaggregation function solves the QoS before the upstream bottleneck,while the line cards implements the QoS functions necessary to solve thedownstream bottleneck. Consequently, the aggregation function deals withaggregates while the line cards deal with the individual user or sessionconcepts. Internally the DSLAM 830 is virtually non-blocking. Trafficsegregation into QoS classes relies on the 802.1P-bits. In the SBCarchitecture it is assumed that customer frames arrive readily tagged onthe DSL links. The DSLAM 830 assumes that the access network uses onecommon traffic class mapping convention. In other words, regardless ofthe VLAN, the P-bits have the same meaning all over the access network.Frames arriving downstream to the DSLAM 830 are assumed to be correctlymarked.

The DSLAM 830 can segregate traffic into four traffic classes. Thesefour traffic classes are available on all output interfaces, includingthe DSL links. Nevertheless, it is possible to give services all theeight possible code points, and it is possible to map them in anycombination into the 4 output queues.

Regarding QoS on the aggregation function, the aggregation function hasfree Gigabit Ethernet (GE) ports available to connect the DSLAM 830 tothe aggregation network and subtended systems.

It is possible to edit Weighted Round Robin (WRR) weights, so bandwidthdistribution between the two data services that rely on elastic traffic(TCP) is editable, based on how many contracts of each type have beensigned and what is the operator's policy for traffic classoversubscription. Link shaping can be set on each output interfaces onthe aggregation function. These two functions however are not needed inthe SBC architecture.

Regarding QoS on DSL interfaces, similar to the aggregation function,per DSL link a hierarchical scheduler is implemented with four trafficclasses (voice, video, CL, BE) and optimized for the needs of differentapplication types. In order to present operators with a consistent QoSstory on both ADSL and EFM links—potentially hosted on the same DSLAM830 system—the forwarding decision can be split in two: in case ofATM-based DSL links the downstream forwarding decision is first executedto find the outgoing link, then segregation into traffic classes basedon Ethernet QoS is executed, and only when the correct schedulingdecision was done on the frame layer is the second part of theforwarding decision done, namely stamping the correct VCI VPI numbers onthe ATM cell. This way, future DLSLAM 830 systems featuring both EFM andATM-based DSL links will have a consistent traffic handlingarchitecture.

Each of the 4 queues can be programmed as Tail drop or RED, with fullyeditable queue sizes. The DSLAM 830 system provides queue and schedulerprofiles to facilitate the consistent settings of several DSL linksbased on a typically small set of operator defined service packages.

Downstream traffic segregation per DSL link happens at line rate on theline cards. This way the DSLAM 830 guarantees that customers ondifferent DSL links cannot adversely impact each other.

FIG. 9 depicts an illustrative method 900 that operates in portions ofthe devices of FIGS. 1-8. Method 900 can begin with step 902 in whichthe method receives from a gateway a message with a gateway identifierresponsive to a femtocell establishing communications with the gateway.The method 900 at 904 identifies a subscriber account according to thegateway identifier and verifying from the subscriber account anavailability of service for the femtocell. The gateway identifier can bean IP address or MAC address of the gateway for example. At 905, themethod 900 can optionally obtain a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS)location coordinate. In one embodiment, the GPS location coordinatesupplied by the femtocell can be obtained from GPS coordinates from aGPS receiver in the femtocell. In another embodiment, the GPS locationcoordinate supplied by the femtocell is obtained via the femtocell inresponse to a request from the gateway for location information duringan authentication process.

At 906, the femtocell can be authenticated according to the GPScoordinate location and a femtocell identifier supplied by thefemtocell. The femtocell identifier can be a MAC address of thefemtocell. At decision block 908, if the subscriber account andfemtocell are authenticated, then services are rendered over thefemtocell at 910. If either of the subscriber account or the femtocellfail to be authenticated, the method can return to 902. At 912, themethod 900 can identify from information in the subscriber account aplurality of services supplied to a premise by way of the gateway. At914, the method 900 can determine from the authentication of thefemtocell that the service provider of the plurality of services is asame provider of services to the femtocell. The method can communicatebetween the femtocell and a base station of the cellular communicationsystem over a real-time protocol or (RTP) channel.

After authentication, the method can optionally adjust a quality ofservice (QoS) parameter of at least one of a plurality of services at916 based on service configuration of the femtocell (for example, bydetermining existing service provided for a subscriber account andadjusting at least one service based on femto channel needs and otherservice needs). At 918, the method can also diagnose a communicationinterruption and inform the gateway. The femtocell can be operable toinform the gateway of the communication interruption to establish atrouble ticket. The method can auto diagnose the femtocell when thefemtocell detects a problem. Auto-diagnosing the femtocell can be donefor example by having the femtocell detect a problem and informing agateway or set-top box (STB) of the problem where a trouble ticket isautomatically created. The method 900 can also include at 920 powercycling at least one of the femtocell hardware and a gateway when thefemtocell hardware fails to synchronize with the gateway.

An interruption at 918 can also entail the detection of the installationof a femtocell in a network and a corresponding QoS mapping for all orsome of the network device parameters within the network. Theinterruption at 918 can also involve the detection of a Long TermEvolution (LTE) device such as a “4G (LTE)” cellular phone or anUniversal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) device such as a “3G”cellular phone at the femtocell. The detection of the LTE device canenable the dynamic mapping of QoS for each or a portion of the “pipes”(e.g., LTV, VoIP, VoD, ICC, HSI, and Femto) illustrated in FIGS. 5 and6.

Operationally, the 3G (UMTS) or 4G (LTE) device can send a QoS ClassIdentifier (QCI) or a Traffic Class to the femtocell which indicates thekind of communication that is about to take place. The QCI can indicateseveral types of communication such as voice and data communications.Note that voice and data can be simultaneous in an LTE system wherevoice and data are both packet switched. Voice can have a higherpriority while data can have a lower priority depending on the type ofdata communication. In the case of data, emails can have a very lowpriority while video can have a very high priority, but still typicallylower than a voice data call. In 4G (LTE), the QCI can take on 9different values, and these values can be mapped into a smaller numberof classes in the wireline portion of the network. Not that in 3G(UMTS), four (4) Traffic Classes are defined to support QoS. Although 9QCI values and 4 Traffic Classes are described, the embodiments hereinare not necessarily limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 6, when a femtocell receives a QCI from an LTE device,the femtocell can map the QCI information upstream to other networkdevices such as the RG (516), VPLS (508) up to the Common BroadbandBackbone 554. The individual “pipes” providing bandwidth for variousservices with the VPLS 508 “may” be adjusted based on the QCI sent bythe LTE device. Accordingly, LTE devices can lead to dynamic QoSadjustments of the “pipes” or individual pathways in 508.

The Femtocell (also known as the Femtocell Access Point (FAP)) providesaccess to User Equipment (UE) such as the device 410 shown in FIG. 4 orthe cell phone 526 shown in FIG. 5. The FAP is supports the same RadioFrequency (RF) technology that the UE uses in macro cell access. Severalmajor components relating to the Femtocell are worth noting: theFemtocell (FAP) itself, the Home Network, Wireline Access, the FemtocellGateway, and the remainder of the mobility network in a CBB network. Allservices receive different priority (QoS) treatments based on a ServiceLevel Agreement (SLA).

The mapping when UEs access Femtocells include the following interfaces:(a) Between the UE and the Femtocell (QoS is implemented in the RFdomain); and (b) Between the Femtocell and the RG/MAG (the Femtocellwill connect to the RG/MAG via a wireline Ethernet connection; e.g.,where wireless connectivity would not be used.

Transport to the 3G/4G Mobility core can be for example via the RG toAccess network via the DSLAM with LAN priority using high-speed Ethernetinterfaces or via the Access network to CBB via the CO and IO (whereeach IP packet will be marked using its DSCP field to providedifferentiated service treatment.

As discussed above, the QCI (LTE of 4G) or Traffic Class (UMTS of 3G) ofa radio bearer determines the priority of the packets that flow on it.However, multiple bearers can be multiplexed onto an Internet Security(IPSec) tunnel, and the Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) valueof each IPSec packet can be marked consistent with the priority of thebearer. Because the UE is not tied to a particular FAP, both theFemtocell and the RG/MAG will need to mark the packets in a mannerconsistent with the network's DSCP scheme. The Femtocell is uniquelypositioned to be able to distinguish between packets that are voice andthose that belong to a type of walled garden traffic, and the Femtocellwill mark them appropriately. Upstream, the packets would be givenpriority based on the markings. Each tunneled packet can be assigned soits DSCP will correspond to the wireless class (e.g., indicated by QCI)of its associated bearer.

A rule set for Mapping of Femtocell Markings with QoS-Aware Access tosupport wireline and 3G networks can entail QoS requirements for Voicethat are different than those for Internet traffic. Walled Gardenapplications are expected to have requirements somewhere between thetwo, depending on the application. The ability to protect Voice trafficfrom being delayed by other traffic is of concern, particularly for lowbandwidth upstream access. Walled Garden applications may also need somepreferential treatment, depending on the application. For instance,streaming video could be affected by Internet traffic.

In yet another embodiment with reference to FIG. 10, a method 1000involving a mobile handset or cellular phone can entail a customerregistering for an access point (AP) and provides a wireless telephonenumber and their home address at 1010. The wireless carrier can inputthe customer information (including the AP device information) into aFemto OSS at 1020. The FEMO pushes the AP information to a customerregistered handset and activates (or downloads) a software agent in thedevice at 1030. At 1040, the software agent monitors WiFi signals. Oncethe handset is in AP's WiFi coverage, it can communicate with the AP andget device information such as MAC address and its activation state. Ifthe AP GPS location data is available, then the method 1000 at 1050 theDistributed Provisioning Engine (DPE) uses access point reported GPSlocation to authenticate. If the AP GPS information is unavailable andthe area has 3G (UMTS) coverage, then the DPE queries the handset forits WiFi connection and location via 3G (UMTS) connection using locationservice at 1060. If the area has no 3G (UMTS) coverage, then thecustomer at 1070 moves registered handset close to a window so it hasGPS signal. The software agent in can communicate with agent in AP andsends its GPS coordinates to AP. The AP sends handset reported GPS toDPE for authentication

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope andspirit of the claims described below.

Other suitable modifications can be applied to the present disclosurewithout departing from the scope of the claims below. Accordingly, thereader is directed to the claims section for a fuller understanding ofthe breadth and scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 1100 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed above. The machine can operate, for example, asthe mobile device 116, the media processor 106, the gateway 104, theremote server 116, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, themachine operates as a standalone device. In some embodiments, themachine may be connected (e.g., using a network) to other machines. In anetworked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of aserver or a client user machine in server-client user networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a desktopcomputer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge, or anymachine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a device of the present disclosure includes broadly anyelectronic device that provides voice, video or data communication.Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shallalso be taken to include any collection of machines that individually orjointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The computer system 1100 may include a processor 1102 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), a mainmemory 704 and a static memory 1106, which communicate with each othervia a bus 708. The computer system 1100 may further include a videodisplay unit 1110 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flat panel, asolid state display). The computer system 1100 may include an inputdevice 1112 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 1114 (e.g., amouse), a disk drive unit 716, a signal generation device 1118 (e.g., aspeaker or remote control) and a network interface device 1120.

The disk drive unit 1116 may include a machine-readable medium 1122 onwhich is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 1124)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein, including those methods illustrated above. The instructions 1124may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the mainmemory 1104, the static memory 1106, and/or within the processor 1102during execution thereof by the computer system 1100. The main memory1104 and the processor 1102 also may constitute machine-readable media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

The present disclosure contemplates a machine readable medium containinginstructions 1124, or that which receives and executes instructions 1124from a propagated signal so that a device connected to a networkenvironment 1126 can send or receive voice, video or data, and tocommunicate over the network 1126 using the instructions 1124. Theinstructions 1124 may further be transmitted or received over a network1126 via the network interface device 1120.

While the machine-readable medium 1122 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should betaken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralizedor distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) thatstore the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present disclosure.

The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken toinclude, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such as a memorycard or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile)memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile)memories; magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk or tape;and/or a digital file attachment to e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives is considered a distributionmedium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, thedisclosure is considered to include any one or more of amachine-readable medium or a distribution medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodicallysuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: supplying, by a gatewaydevice comprising a processor, a service of a plurality of subscribedservices; establishing, by the gateway device, communications with afemtocell, wherein the femtocell and the gateway device comprisecustomer premises equipment; receiving, by the gateway device, a requestfrom the femtocell to initiate an authentication process to authenticatethe femtocell to receive subscribed services related to a subscriberaccount; receiving, by the gateway device, authentication informationfrom the femtocell; initiating, by the gateway device, an authenticationprocess to authenticate the femtocell based on the request; andproviding, by the gateway device, a message to a remote servercomprising a gateway identifier of the gateway device and theauthentication information, wherein the providing of the message isresponsive to the establishing of the communications with the femtocell,wherein the remote server identifies a subscriber account based on thegateway identifier to authenticate the femtocell based on informationobtained from the subscriber account, and wherein the subscriber accountidentifies an availability of service to the femtocell.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising requesting, by the gateway device, locationinformation obtained by the femtocell during the authentication process.3. The method of claim 2, wherein the gateway identifier comprises astatic internet protocol address of the gateway device, and wherein thelocation information is obtained from a wireless phone in communicationwith the femtocell.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the locationinformation supplied by the femtocell is obtained from a globalpositioning satellite receiver in the femtocell.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein the gateway identifier comprises a media access controladdress of the gateway device.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein theauthentication information comprises a media access control address ofthe femtocell.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication ofthe femtocell, supports a determination that a service provider of theplurality of services is a same provider of services to the femtocell,and wherein, quality of service parameters for the plurality of servicesare adjustable responsive to the determination.
 8. The method of claim1, further comprising receiving, by the gateway device, an indication ofa communication interruption of the femtocell.
 9. The method of claim 8,further comprising, providing by the gateway device, an indication ofthe communication interruption, wherein a troubleshooting moduleestablishes a trouble ticket based on a diagnosis of the communicationinterruption.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:determining, by the gateway device, a lack of synchronization with thefemtocell; and in response to the determining of the lack ofsynchronization, power cycling one of the femtocell, the gateway device,or the femtocell and the gateway device.
 11. A device comprising: amemory that stores executable instructions; and a processor of a gatewaydevice in communication with the memory, wherein the processorresponsive to executing the instructions, facilitates performance ofoperations comprising: establishing communications with a femtocell inproximity to the gateway device; receiving a request from the femtocellfor authentication of the femtocell, wherein access to subscribedservices by the femtocell is based on the authentication; receivingauthentication information from the femtocell; initiating anauthentication process to authenticate the femtocell based on therequest; and providing an identification of the gateway device and theauthentication information to a remote server, wherein the providing ofthe identification and the authentication information is responsive tothe establishing of the communications with the femtocell, and whereinthe remote server identifies a subscriber account based on theidentification of the gateway to authenticate the femtocell based oninformation obtained from the subscriber account.
 12. The device ofclaim 11, wherein the processor, responsive to executing theinstructions, facilitates performance of operations comprising:determining a plurality of services accessible by the gateway device;and determining from the authentication of the femtocell that a serviceprovider of the plurality of services also provides services to thefemtocell.
 13. The device of claim 11, wherein the operations furthercomprise determining an interruption to communications of the femtocell.14. The device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:determining a lack of synchronization with the femtocell; and initiatinga power cycling in response to the determining of the lack ofsynchronization.
 15. A machine-readable storage device, comprisingexecutable instructions which, responsive to being executed by aprocessor of a gateway device, facilitate performance of operationscomprising: initiating communications with a femtocell, wherein thefemtocell and the gateway device comprise customer premises equipment;determining information regarding the femtocell by way of thecommunications with the femtocell; determining a location of thefemtocell; generating a message that includes a gateway identifier andthe location responsive to the initiating of the communications with thefemtocell; and sending the message to a server that authenticates thefemtocell based on the location and a femtocell identifier supplied bythe femtocell.
 16. The machine-readable storage device of claim 15,wherein the location is obtained from a global positioning satellitereceiver in the femtocell.
 17. The machine-readable storage device ofclaim 15, further comprising receiving an indication of a communicationinterruption of the femtocell.
 18. The machine-readable storage deviceof claim 17, further comprising providing an indication of thecommunication interruption that supports generation of a trouble ticketto reestablish communication of the femtocell.
 19. The machine-readablestorage device of claim 18, wherein the gateway identifier comprises amedia access control address of the gateway device.
 20. Themachine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the messagecomprises a media access control address of the femtocell.